Hayrack-lifter



R KANE.

HAYRACK LI FTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1921.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I-- \s M I N Robefi ffme ,u

R. KANE.

HAYVBACK LIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1921.

1 98,460. 7 Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Robeii' [fame am 7 M ROBERT KANE, OF EUMBOLDT, ILLINOIS.

HAYRACK-LI FTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Application filed March 5, 1921.. Serial No. 449,863.

To all 10 ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT KANE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Humboldt, in the county of Coles and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hayrack-Lifters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide simple, inexpensive andefficient apparatus whereby a hay rack or wagon body may beautomatically lifted from the running gear as the vehicle is drawnforward. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings andwill be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatusshowing a hay rack about to be engaged and withdrawn from the runninggear;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the rack withdrawn from and supportedabove the running gear;

Fig. l is a transverse section on the line 47-4: of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on a somewhat larger scale.

In carrying out my invention, I employ two similar frames which are setup in a field or within a barn or other shelter in parallel relation andspaced apart a distance which will permit an ordinary running gear topass between them as it is drawn forward by draft animals. Each" ofthese frames comprises posts 1 which are connected by suitable braces 2and to the upper ends of which are secured horizontal rails 8. EX-tending downwardly from one end of each rail 3 is an inclined rail 4,which has its lower end resting upon the ground or upon the floor of ashelter and is alinecl with the respective rail At the junction of therails 3 and i, I provide a laterally extending pin or similar support 5and upon the outer end of said support I mount a roller 6. The runninggear, indicated at 7, may be of any well-known type, and in the drawingsI have indicated a conventional hay rack 8 supported upon the bolstersof the running gear, the I rack being provided with depending brackets 9adapted to engage the front and rear sides of the respective bolsters sothat the travel of the running gear will be transmitted directly to therack. Upon the sides of the rack, at the ends thereof, I provide rollers10 which are adapted to run upon the rails 4 and 3 and at the outersides of said rollers I secure tracks 11 which are adapted to engage andride upon the rollers 6. The tracks 11 may be of any convenient orpreferred formation and are illustrated as consisting of anglebarshaving vertically disposed webs whereby they may be secured to the sidesof the hay rack or the wagon body and horizontal webs extendingoutwardly from the upper edges of the vertical webs so as to ride uponthe rollers 6.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. When the rack orthe wagon body is to be lifted from the running gear, the vehicle isdrawn forward between the rails a and the rollers 1.0 at the front endof the rack will be thereby brought into engage ment with the inclinedrails l below the upper ends of the same so that as the travel of thevehicle proceeds the front end of the rack will be raised and caused toride upward upon the said inclined rails and pass over onto the rails 3,the lugs 9 at the rear end of the rack remaining in engagement with therear bolster of the running gear until the porton of the rack in advanceof the rollers 6 overbalances the rear portion of the rack and therebyswings downwardly to rest upon the upper horizontal rails 3. Thisdownward movement of the forward end of the rack will, of course, causethe rear end of the rack to swing upwardly free of the running gear sothat the rack will be supported upon the rails 3 and the running gearmay be drawn forward past the sup porting structure and used for otherpurposes. The momentum acquired by the rack as it travels up the rails tand onto the rails 3 which carry it forward upon the upper rails to asufficient distance to guard against the rack moving backwardly andsliding off the support. When the rack or wagon body is to be againused, the running gear is driven into position below the rack andbetween the rail supports so that. if a rear movement be imparted to therack, it will run down the inclined rails 41: and engage the runninggear. The rollers provided upon the supports and upon the rack permitthe rack to move easily when it is to be returned to position upon therunning gear so that laborious effort will not be needed to render therack or wagon body again available for use. The apparatus is obviouslysimple in construction and may be set up wherever desired at a very lowcost.

Having thus described the invention, what 5 is claimed as new is:

The combination of parallel-supporting structures between which avehicle may be driven, horizontal rails on said supporting structures,inclined rails leading down- 10 wardly from the horizontal rails andalined therewith, rollers upon the outer sidesof the rails at thejunctions of the horizontal and inclined members thereof, rollersmounted upon a wagon body to run upon the said rails, and tracks securedlongitudinally upon 15 the outer sides of the wagon body laterallybeyond the rollers thereon and arranged to ride upon the first-mentionedrollers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT KANE. 1,. 5.

